Invokana® and other similar medications have been the subjects of thousands of lawsuits.

When a large number of similar cases are filed against a single defendant, they are often transferred to MDL under the jurisdiction of one judge. Much like in a class action, this type of case is efficient for handling evidence discovery. However, MDL claimants can still retain their own legal counsel and receive an individualized case settlement or verdict. If you or a loved one have suffered a complication after taking Invokana®, please contact our legal team to arrange a free case evaluation.

Claims in the Invokana® Lawsuit

A variety of health conditions have been reported by patients using Invokana® or its sister drug Invokamet®, both manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Invokana® (canagliflozin) was released to the market in 2013 and Invokamet® the following year.

The most commonly reported complications associated with these medications are diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic ketoacidosis, and serious urinary tract infections.

Invokana® is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor medication that helps type 2 diabetes patients maintain normal blood glucose levels. The drug causes the kidneys remove sugar from the bloodstream and eliminate it in the patient’s urine, rather than reabsorbing it. Invokamet® is a combination of canagliflozin and metformin, another diabetes drug, and is prescribed for patients whose blood sugar is not well controlled with canagliflozin or metformin alone.

The most commonly reported complications associated with these medications are diabetic ketoacidosis, kidney failure, and serious urinary tract infections. Ketoacidosis is a dangerous accumulation of acids in the blood, which can lead to diabetic coma and death. Failure of the kidneys can allow waste to accumulate in the body, and must be treated with ongoing dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Status of the Lawsuit

The first Invokana® cases were filed in September 2015. A class action lawsuit is now pending in Canada, with plaintiffs seeking c$1 billion to settle their claims. U.S. lawsuits against Janssen (and parent company Johnson & Johnson) include allegations of negligence, failure to warn patients of dangerous complication risks, misrepresentation, breach of warranty, fraud, and liability for a defective drug.

In January 2016, the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (ISMP) released a Safety Alert concerning Invokana®, revealing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had received 5,484 adverse event reports relating to this drug in 2015. Earlier in the year, the ISMP had published a warning about Invokana® that questioned whether the drug’s clinical benefits had been sufficiently proven to outweigh risks in the face of “increasing evidence that canagliflozin is associated with adverse effects....”

In February, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also expressed concern about Invokana®, issuing a public warning about diabetic ketoacidosis specifically. Additionally, the FDA recently ordered warning labels for SGLT2 inhibitors to include new warnings about ketoacidosis and serious urinary tract infections.

Seeking Legal Representation

If you have suffered serious complications from Invokana®, Invokamet®, or another SGLT2 inhibitor medication, it may be in your best interest to speak to a product liability lawyer. Our attorneys have decades of experience handling these types of cases, and we work hard to maximize compensation for our clients. Please contact our legal team today to schedule a free consultation.